The first part of this article provides an overview of state-of-the-art of CO2 recovery. In the second part, a newly developed process is compared to established pro­cesses. Results from research and development of the new recovery pro­cess are presented. Pointers to assist in decisions relating to new investments are given.

The beverage industry has long been seeking a practicable system for filtering out the contaminants from a bottle washer’s operating media. With the development of Parsifal micro-filtration, this technological challenge has now been solved, in terms of both operational economy and qualitative excellence.

This is the goal of the process characterized by dividing the wort for boiling, while preheating the lauter wort without the use of hot water as an interim energy storage medium. This has shown promising potential for sizable savings in a number of ways.

How should one proceed when planning a new brewhouse or when extending an existing one? Which considerations or recent insights have to form the basis for the project? Which criteria have to be taken into account now and will also hold good in the future? Part 1 (Brauwelt International, No. 1, 2007, p.28) covered production and working time, monthly output and brews per day, among other things. Part 2 deals with the requirements for brewing vessels in more detail. For reasons of clarity, figures and tables are numbered consecutively, continuing from Part 1.

This contribution is a review of scientific investigations of the Hartong Index at 45  °C (VZ 45  °C) and a discussion of the respective findings. In a previous publication, the authors subdivided issues arising into three major breakdown processes i.e. proteolysis, cytolysis and amylolysis in the malting and brewing process [16]. This article summarises the outcome of the investigations and critically discusses the question whether VZ 45 °C is a useful specification for assessing malt quality.

The Trumer Privatbrauerei Josef Sigl in the Salzburger Land commissioned their new fermentation cellar at the end of 2006. The new building (an investment of 2.6 million EUR) has a capacity of 90 000 hl and is, in the truest sense of the word, characterized by an “open” design, both in its architecture and technical innovations.

Energy consumption data from the “SchoKo” demonstrate that reducing energy usage is not only profitable but also helps improve product quality.

In the summer of 2005, the Kulmbacher Brewery made the decision to retrofit their new brewhouse, manufactured by Huppmann, with a wort precooling system. Tests were conducted on-site during normal operation and were designed to evaluate the efficiency of the wort precooling system with regard to a reduction in DMSP degradation and lower thermal stress to the wort, while sustaining coagulable nitrogen levels.

Efficiency of boiling systems | Part 3 of this series of articles deals with different wort boiling systems established in the brewing industry. The main emphasis is on the difference in efficiencies of individual systems. In the comparison, the degree to which efficiencies of boiling systems investigated differ comes as a surprise.

In modern breweries and beverage production facilities, all aspects of water quality are of great importance; among them are those concerning hygiene. The disinfection of the water used in these facilities, plays a key role because shortcomings in the area of hygiene can have serious, far-reaching consequences. In the last few years, chlorine dioxide has become a frequently used and practical means of disinfection.

A proline-specific protease preparation has been commercially available from DSM Food Specialties since 2005. Called Brewers Clarex™, this product is a highly concentrated solution of a food grade, acid stable enzyme that exhibits a strong preference for cleaving protein chains next to proline residues. The enzyme is added during the primary fermentation phase and is currently marketed as an alternative to PVPP and/or silica treatments. The efficacy of the enzyme is illustrated by the fact that quantities of not more than two ml/hl wort are required to prevent chill haze formation and to produce beers that are completely stable.